Is Reddit down? Why Your Favorite Subreddits Got Private

Thousands of popular subreddits joined the Reddit Boycott June 12-14 in response to proposed changes to the Reddit API.

Reddit laid out its vision for the future of the Reddit API in April, which included implementing a premium pricing structure for access to it.

These changes could ruin third-party apps that users rely on for a valuable Reddit experience, such as moderators use to protect members’ subreddits from malicious content and spam.

Sending a message to save third-party apps

In a post by r/Save3rdPartyApps, moderators listed their demands, alternative communities to join, a list of participating subreddits, and instructions on how to make your subreddit private.

Among the requirements for Reddit to consider regarding the API were the following:

• Allow third-party apps to serve their ads and offer a revenue-sharing model to make them sustainable. This includes lowering API prices and giving apps time to adapt.
• Improve the Reddit API by adding features like image uploads, chat, notifications, and higher rate limits.
• Better communication and consultation with disability communities. The changes negatively impact accessible apps for blind users. Clarify how accessibility exceptions are granted.
• Reward accessibility app developers who provide an alternative to Reddit’s inaccessible official app.
• Allow third-party apps to access NSFW content as long as they implement appropriate age verification and moderation systems. Reddit currently only allows this in its official apps.

According to a post by r/ModCoord, over 28,000 moderators from almost 8,000 subreddits are participating. Some communities like r/Science and r/todayilearned each have over 30 million members.

Subreddits, including r/bigSEO, would display messages like the one below to let members know what was happening. John Mueller, Google search analyst, supported the protest, calling Reddit’s pricing and communication on the API changes “disappointing.”

Subreddit moderators posted bulletins on their Reddit communities, websites, and other social platforms to announce their intention to support third-party apps.

I moderate the subreddit /r/reactjs. I just posted an announcement that we will be closing the sub June 12-14 to join the protest against Reddit’s API price changes and phasing out of 3rd party apps: https://t.co/ISmKo33WFb

— Mark Erikson (@acemarke) June 9, 2023

Some subreddits chose different ways to show support without being totally inaccessible, such as: B. r/games, which has opted for restricted mode instead.

Is Reddit down too?

In addition to participating subreddits closing their doors, parts of Reddit went down on the first morning of the protest, with tens of thousands of users across the United States reporting outages via DownDetector.

Addressing concerns about the Reddit API changes

An attempt by Reddit CEO Steve Huffman to address community concerns about API changes days before the protest didn’t stop moderators from implementing plans for a shutdown.

In the post, Huffman explained that Reddit needed to become a self-sustaining company and could no longer subsidize high data usage by commercial third-party apps.

He shared the following points about what moderators and developers can expect.

• Free API access is still 100 queries/minute for OAuth clients and 10 queries/minute for non-OAuth clients. This covers 90% of the apps.
• Premium API access for higher usage costs $0.24 per 1,000 API calls (less than $1/month for typical apps). Some apps, like Apollo, have decided this price doesn’t work for them.
• Mod tools like RES and Toolbox will continue to have free API access. Pushshift access will be restored for verified mods.
• Mod bots that provide free value to users still have API access.
• The Developer Platform Beta provides tools for mod tools, games, and features.
• Access to NSFW content via the API will be restricted on July 5 to provide “guard rails”.
• Non-commercial accessibility apps continue to have free API access.

Huffman acknowledged the frustration of the moderators and said he respects the communities that have taken actions to highlight their needs, including privatization.

Go forward

The Reddit boycott, sparked by proposed changes to the Reddit API and subsequent pricing model, demonstrated the deep interconnectedness of the Reddit ecosystem, in which third-party applications play a central role.

It also highlighted a potential problem with Reddit’s business strategy: the exclusion of key stakeholders, namely third-party developers and community moderators, from decision-making processes.

The proposed changes pose a significant challenge to Reddit and threaten its character as a democratic and accessible platform. The moderators’ demands during the protest show that Reddit urgently needs to reconsider its strategies regarding third-party apps, while considering the feasibility of those apps and the communities they serve.

Despite assurances from Reddit’s CEO that most apps are unaffected and that certain beneficial changes are being implemented, the widespread dissatisfaction and protest actions point to a communication and trust gap between Reddit’s management and its user base.

This situation underscores the importance of transparent and inclusive decision-making in technology companies, particularly those that offer platforms for community interaction.

As Reddit navigates the choppy waters of these changes, it must carefully consider the interdependencies of its ecosystem. Reddit’s future will likely depend on its ability to balance commercial viability while maintaining the democratic and open nature that has shaped the platform.

Ultimately, the event underscores that community platforms like Reddit are built on more than just algorithms and APIs—they are powered by people, their needs, their creativity, and their desire for a shared digital space.

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Featured image: Boumen Japet/Shutterstock